Early On
by SallySorrell
Summary: A glimpse into Woody's history before Andy. He was a collectible and didn't know it? How did he meet the other toys? What about Bo Peep? Told from Woody's viewpoint...
1. I Learn to Talk

**Author's Note: Hey! I felt compelled to write this because we were never given any glimpse into Woody's history, or that of any other toy. I hope you enjoy it. AND! I'm open to title suggestions! If I pick yours, I'll write you a drabble :D**

**Have fun!**

* * *

At first, I wasn't even sure I could actually speak. I was completely oblivious, and unaware of my own ability. Not a good combination.

"Hello," her voice was light and sweet. Exactly what you'd expect from a little doll made of porcelain. Her face was friendly, though hidden by a creased bonnet.

"My name is Bo Peep." She continued. I waited a moment for her to extend a hand, or wave maybe.

Oh… she was a _lady_. Still unsure of talking, I reached for her hand and kissed the back of it gently. I even considered bowing or something. Anything to prolong my sad attempts at speech.

"What's your name, Sheriff?"

If it weren't for that printed card I'd spent the last forty years of my life with, I wouldn't even know the answer.

"Umm… W-W…"

She approached me and searched for my pull-string. Upon finding it, she did the obvious.

"Reeeaacchhh for the skkyyy." My eyes widened.

"I knew there was a voice-box in there somewhere." She announced triumphantly, "There's no need to be shy, Sheriff. I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time together."

"Woody." I said quietly, "I'm Woody."

Let me tell you; that was the first other toy I'd ever met. And the 'forty years with a card' thing?

My first owner was a collector of some sort. Probably thirty or forty years old when he purchased me. I came home in a cardboard box, with my name printed on a card on the front. As soon as I arrived home, I was carefully cut out of the box and placed in a glass one. More like a picture frame than a box, really. My card was attached to the fabric at the back of the frame. Eventually, I was hung on a wall in the man's kitchen, near a shelf of wine.

Not knowing anything different, I was content with my silent life. I watched every dinner party, every family gathering, and every western movie you can name from that shelf. I'd only been held by a person while transferred from my box to the frame. My pull-string still had a tab on it, preventing it from being used or damaged. My hat had never left my head, and was practically stuck there by the thirtieth year.

Year forty-one brought change. (How did I count the years? Well, I _was _framed next to a calendar. Also, the guy _always_ had huge parties on New Years' Eve.)

My owner died in my 41st year. I didn't even know his name! All I knew was that he fell on the kitchen floor, and was taken away. A week or so later, I was carefully removed from the wall and placed on the kitchen counter, still in my frame. A bright sticker was stuck in the bottom corner of the glass.

Different people wandered through the house, just looking at everything. As it was starting to get dark, an older couple stopped to look at me. The woman picked me up and smiled. They took me out of the house, and into their own.

That's when my life really began. They set the frame down on a desk and flipped it over, prying away at the frame. This took several minutes and a pair of scissors, seeing as the case hadn't been opened in decades.

The man popped off the frame and the woman picked me up. She tipped my hat and removed the tab from my pull-string.

"You're my favorite deputy!"

Actually _pulling_ the string was a bizarre feeling. That part of my back, which had actually been attached to my frame and original box, was rather sensitive by now.

The lady smiled again and carefully set me down on the desk.

"He's perfect!"

Bo cringed during most of that story the first time I told it to her. We sat down on the windowsill that first day we met. Then, watched the sunset as I told her of my life. Her story was shorter.

"I came from a store." She told me, "Gift for a baby shower. Until Mom learned her 'Andi' is gonna be an 'Andy'. I'm guessing that's why you showed up."

I was given as a gift from the older couple to their daughter, who Bo Peep called 'Mom.'

Who was this Andy, anyway?

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**What do you think? Give me your titles too, folks :) More is on the way!**

**~Sally**


	2. I Become a Hero

Bo and I sat on that windowsill for most of the day. Someone was always in the room, so we never had any time to actually _move_. It was just like being back in that frame!

One morning, Mom came into the room to (re)decorate. She took wallpaper and pictures down. Then, the powder pink walls were painted blue.

She took a quick glance in our direction, where Bo's head had fallen to my shoulder. Mom slowly stood up and waddled over to us. She scooped us up and placed us on a shelf across from the window, so we could see too. Fluffy clouds were added to the walls. They matched the beautiful ones floating outside the window.

When the decorating was finished, a man joined Mom in the room, smiling at the walls in approval.

"Andy'll love it." He said softly. He reached out for her stomach and rubbed his hand in circles over it.

"But what do I do with all these?" She gestured at the box of pink pictures and wallpaper.

"We'll find someone who needs them… Someone with a beautiful baby girl."

"Oh!" Mom had an epiphany, "Jan that I work with is due in a few months, after Andy."

"Perfect. I can drop them off at your office next week."

They continued their conversation and wandered into the hallway, closing the door as they left. The bedroom was lit by a single lamp, set on the floor in the corner of the room. Where Bo and I sat, we could hardly see its glow… but we had a perfect view of the stars.

The porcelain doll reached a hand behind my back, running it in small circles around and between my pull-string. Admittedly, I twitched a bit.

We remained on the shelf another few days. Early in the morning, Mom came in to get the box of… pink. She reached up onto our shelf, feeling for Bo Peep.

"I guess this is goodbye, Sheriff." She whispered, stroking my hand as she left.

What? The first toy I meet had to leave so soon? I didn't understand, but I followed her.

Once Mom left the room, I jumped off the shelf. I pursued her down an exhausting flight of stairs. Fortunately, Mom's pregnancy allowed me to match her in speed. I actually had to work to stay _behind_ her. From what Bo told me about people, they weren't supposed to see you moving... it freaked them out. We couldn't talk around them either.

Mom set the box down on the landing, between the two flights of stairs, and went searching for the man. I crept towards the box and climbed inside.

"Woody? Are you out of your mind?"

"Let's get you out of here."

Bo was wedged in between two of the pictures. The pink borders matched her cheeks perfectly.

I lifted one of the pictures up and held it until Bo moved. I climbed out of the box, then helped her do the same. We could hear Mom's voice and several sets of footsteps.

"Sorry hun. I can't carry it down the stairs..."

"Don't worry about it. Go rest."

I pulled Bo away from the box and we hid in the shadow of the bottom step. The man took the box and continued his peaceful descent. He would never know we were gone.

The stairs were clear, now that Mom was resting on a recliner downstairs and the man was outside.

"Come on, Bo Peep."

"I'm made of glass, Woody. I can't bend to climb stairs."

That was indeed a problem. I sat down on the ledge of the lowest step to think. Bo looked up at me, barely blinking.

"Can you hold on to me? I will carry you up these stairs, Bo Peep."

"Bo. Please call me Bo."

"_Bo_... come on."

I joined her on the landing and handed her the end of my pull-string. It was wrapped around her, and she held the end. I swept her into my arms and we began the journey back up the stairs.

There were ten of them, each glaring at me and the weight I carried. Each seemed taller, narrower, and further away. Everything was wrong. I wasn't even sure what I was doing or why.

It was dark outside when we made it back to Andy's room. The lamp in the corner was on, and the stars were starting to shine in through the window.

Even though the stairs ended way before Andy's doorway, I felt the need to carry Bo all the way to the front of our shelf. Climbing back up it would be enough of a problem.

I set her carefully on the carpeting and untangled her from my pull-string.

"Thanks, Sheriff." She let go of my string.

"Someone's poisoned the waterhole!" I announced, beyond my control.

Silence for a moment. I pondered the whole 'getting back to the top of the shelf' issue. Bo sat down in front of me.

There was a faint rustling downstairs. A yawn. Soft footsteps approaching.

"You woke her up!" Bo accused me. I don't think she was serious... but we were definitely in trouble now, "You need to get up that shelf!"

"What about you?" I called down, tossing myself up the levels of shelving.

"I'll hide for awhile."

She strutted into the closet and, with difficulty, slid the door shut. Mom entered the room.

I froze where I was: the shelf directly _under_ the top one. I fell to rest on my back, and had to catch my hat before Mom saw it falling.

Mom looked around the room, shifting a few things. I assume she was looking for the source of the talking that woke her up. Told you we freak people out when we do that.

She picked me up and examined me.

"I didn't know you could talk... you'll be Andy's favorite, I know it."

"This town ain't big enough for the two of us." What is with everyone's fascination with my pull-string? _I hate the thing!_

"Maybe when he's older." She sighed. I was set back on the very top shelf.

She left the room and went to her own.

I waited on the shelf all night, silently, hoping Bo was okay.

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**What do you think? :D**

**~Sally**


	3. I Meet Andy

I must've spent a month alone on that shelf. The room had been vacant the whole time, too. I wanted to go and find Bo, but visits from Mom were sporadic. With my luck, I'd reach the floor and she'd come shuffling in.

The next time anyone came into the bedroom, a new person joined them. It was the man (Dad, I should call him), the older couple (Mom's parents) and Mom, who held onto a little, crying individual.

Said individual was then set down in a white crib in front of the window. Mom stroked his thin hair and smiled.

"Welcome home, Andy!" she cooed. The others looked on, with the smiles being passed around.

"Let him sleep awhile, Anna." Dad said, "We can finish dinner until he wakes up."

"Do you think he'll sleep through the night?" The older woman asked.

"He better!" Mom joked, "I'm exhausted."

"I can set up the monitors after dinner." The older man threw in. It seemed to comfort the rest of the family. They left the room together, all holding onto the hand or shoulder of someone else. A knotted mess, but a happy one.

The thing in the cradle, called Andy, slept for barely another minute. He turned his head, very slightly, and watched me. I saw tears well up on each of his eyes, and he opened his mouth to scream.

"Andy, Andy!" I whisper/shouted. He was too young to really move at all. He had a hard time turning his head from side to side. But he struggled to pull his eyes open and focus on me.

I didn't want him crying! First off, it was annoying, and second, Mom was tired and hungry. She didn't need to check on Andy once a minute.

I slid down from the shelf and landed on the bars of his crib. I sat down, allowing my legs to hang into the crib. Andy looked at me and remained quiet. He was asleep again within about ten minutes. Stealthily, I climbed down from his crib as if it were a ladder, and forced my way into the closet.

"Bo?"

"Woody!" echoed from the opposite side of the closet. It was completely dark and I stumbled around looking for her.

"Is Andy here?"

"Yes. You should see him, Bo."

"He'd break me, Woody. I'll be spending a few years in this closet, I'm sure."

I kept forgetting she was a porcelain doll... she just seemed so alive. She moved and spoke in an elegant manner, and was always very graceful.

"At least have a look at him, Bo."

"I will. But not tonight. You shouldn't spend too much time actually _with _him yet, though. I heard them talking about monitors."

"What are those?"

"Screens so they can watch Andy from their room. You won't be able to move once they put them up."

"Oh..."

"Don't worry too much about it; I'm sure he'll be playing with you in no time."

"Doing what?"

"_Playing_ with you, Woody! You're a toy, right?"

"I... spent forty years in a glass box, Bo!"

"Sorry... I forget about that. It must've been awful." She put a cold hand on my shoulder.

"I guess." It moved to my back.

"Well, I came from a toy store, and I can tell you, being played with is what we live for."

"What is it like?" I sat down against the back wall of the closet. Bo joined me, and put one of her hands on each of my shoulders.

"I only watched."

"Then we can find out together?"

"Sure... as soon as Andy is old enough to understand."

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**I apologize for this being incredibly cheesy... by my own standards, of course xD**


	4. I Get Swept Off My Feet

Andy had been home several months now, and the monitors were being phased out. During the day, I would go and visit Andy, and then, if I had the time, I would meet Bo in the closet. We'd sit and talk awhile, and then I'd climb back up the shelf, something I'd become insanely good at.

This evening was a quiet one: Andy and his parents were gone and so were the monitors. Finally! I scrambled to tell Bo.

Tenderly, I called her name while I slid open the closet doors.

No answer.

"Bo?" I tried again, a bit louder this time.

Her blue staff was around my neck in an instant. I was pulled into the shadows of the closet's center.

I tripped over something and fell. Gasping, I looked around at everything.

"Bo Peep?"

Her lips silenced mine. I tried to back away, but her staff caught my pull-string. Stupid thing is _always_ in the way!

The kiss continued as her fingers traced the white loop on my back. Her staff was dropped to the ground, and I was afraid it would shatter. Thankfully, it seemed to be made of plastic.

She let go of me and retrieved her staff.

"Were you gonna kiss me back, Sheriff?"

"Wha-what? You just...! But I... maybe?"

"Let's sit outside."

"Umm... okay."

I honestly wasn't sure of what just transpired. Bo walked as casually as ever, keeping me clueless.

We sat down on the carpet and studied Andy's empty crib.

"What was that all about, Bo?" I asked after a looming silence.

"I like you, Sheriff."

"But you... I thought you were a _lady_! All proper and..."

"I certainly am." She raised her chin to accentuate her argument.

"Then shouldn't you of waited for _me_ to kiss _you_?"

"I was waiting." She informed me, brushing her now-messy hair to the side, "You were taking too long!"

Just then, the doorknob rattled.

"See you tomorrow, Woody." She dashed back to the closet and inched the door shut. I did my series of flips to the top shelf.

It was Mom, holding a grinning Andy and a paper bag. She set Andy in his crib and placed the bag on the floor. Kneeling, she took two items out of it. Dad came in as well.

"Putting Andy to bed already?" he asked, stooping beside his wife.

"Yep, and setting up his new toys."

"The one I picked out?"

"Of course." She told him and removed a toy dog from the bag. He had a head, four feet and a tail, but his body was built entirely of springs. The dog was displayed on the shelf below me.

The next and last item taken from the bag was a bright pink pig, the same color as Bo's dress, almost. He was placed on Andy's dresser, across from the window and crib.

"You got our son a bank?" Dad asked, amused, "He's six months old!"

"Never too early to start saving for college." Mom explained. She reached into her pocket and found a few stray pennies. They were dropped into the pig, making little clinking noises as they fell.

The parents tucked Andy into his bed, and stood watching until they were sure he was asleep. They tiptoed out of the room and shut off the lights.

A cough rang from the shelf underneath me. The bank shook his head, making the pennies clang inside him.

_Wait... they're alive too? He's not a toy, he's a bank! And the other one doesn't have a body!_

I decided to investigate. Holding onto my hat, I looked below my shelf. The dog looked at me and wagged his tail.

"Hi!" he said, excited for some unknown reason.

"Umm... hello." I decided to be cordial, "I'm Woody."

"Hi Woody!"

"What's your name... partner?" I tipped my hat. Unsuccessfully.

It landed on the shelf next to the dog.

"I got it!"

Everything this guy said, he sounded genuinely thrilled about. It would probably annoy me if it persisted another day. Or for however long these toys would be staying with me… us.

Bo! She needed to see this at once.

I flipped down on the shelf next to the springy dog. My hat was on his head, and he was ready to toss it my way.

"Here you go, Woody." He dropped it in front of me and smiled.

I slapped it back on my head. He didn't seem so bad.

"I think I missed your name…"

"I don't have one yet… you should name me, Woody."

"That's my name." …And my first lame attempt at a joke. The dog loved it.

I looked him over. There was a sticker wrapped around his springs, labeled "Slinky."

If my card said my name, then that must've been his.

"Slinky." I told him, "That's what your tag says."

"Sounds good to me, Woody!"

"I have someone for you to meet, Slinky."

He smiled at me, tongue and tail wagging in sync.

"Her name is Bo... I think you'll like her."

"What about the pig?" Slinky asked me in a too-loud whisper, "I haven't met him."

The pig in question glared our way.

"Can you climb down the shelf with me, Slinky?"

"Hold on to my tail."

I wasn't sure if this was a 'yes' or 'no.'

"Come on, Woody. Grab my tail. We'll get down faster that way."

I did as he told me.

"Ready?"

Even though I was totally confused, I nodded. Very slowly.

"Here we go."

Slinky backed his legs off of the shelf, and the spring stretched until I could reach the floor.

"Now let go." Slinky called.

I did so, and the springs retreated. Slinky then stretched himself down and joined me.

"Are you in charge here, Woody?" the dog asked me as we approached the closet.

"I guess so... I haven't been here long."

"Me either."

_Obviously._

Suddenly, I saw something falling beside me.

The pig. He jumped to the ground and silenced the pennies as he landed.

"Name's Hamm..." he told me, extending a short arm. I shook his... hand. Whatever you wanna call it.

"I'm... Sheriff Woody."

"Do I have to call you 'Sheriff'?"

"No, I guess not."

"He's in charge here!" Slinky threw in for no good reason. Hamm glared again. It seemed to be his favorite expression.

"How long have you been here, Woody?" Hamm asked.

"Since before Andy was born. Almost a year, I think."

"All by yourself?" Slinky joined in.

"No, Slinky. Remember? I told you about Bo."

He nodded. Hamm nodded. I led them to the closet and we worked together to open the door...


	5. I Freak Andy Out

Really, I was the only one opening the closet; Hamm and Slinky's arms were practically useless in this situation.

I saw Bo helping too. We slid the door all the way to its stopping place, producing a loud _chink_.

Andy sat up in an instant, his head spinning. He tried a few times to copy the sound before studying his closet. And the toys that were... walking and talking inside it. Great.

Shocked, my eyes met Andy's for the first time. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if that was the end of it... But that's when Andy _smiled_. At me. His eyes brightened, and his emerging teeth shone my way.

The other toys froze.

"Uh oh." Hamm announced, "Back to the shelf."

"Don't worry about Andy," Bo told them, "He won't remember this... he's not old enough to remember... I'm Bo Peep, by the way."

She shook hands with Hamm and patted Slinky's head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Slinky outdid every gentlemanly thing I ever tried on her in one sentence, "I'm Slinky."

"Hamm." With that, the piggy bank began his march back to the dresser, "Can't take any chances with kids these days."

Bo completely ignored him.

"Where did you come from, Slinky? I came from a toy store."

"Me too." He said simply.

"I'm from a yard sale." Was Hamm's response, "Got to watch all the toys in the house while Lynn played with _them_. And me? I got to sit on the kitchen counter and hold her spare change. I hate kitchens. Most boring place in the house for a toy."

"I know how that is..." I added, attempting to sound consoling, "I spent forty years in one."

"Forty years?" Hamm was skeptical, "You look fresh out of the box!"

I told them my history and got the same reactions from Hamm and Slink that I did from Bo. Cringing and lots of head-shaking.

Even Andy joined them in looking sad. Next, he joined the conversation with a long string of babbling. This was followed by a single, somehow calm shriek.

"Mom will be running in here any second..." Bo warned.

"Everyone back to their places!" I shouted.

Slinky leapt back to his shelf. Hamm froze. Bo shut the closet.

My acrobatics brought me to the bar of Andy's crib. He looked into my eyes again. The shrieking stopped. Andy thrust out an arm, reaching for me. He shook the whole crib until he could grab me. The tremors he created even rocked the shelf where I was supposed to be. That's when Mom came storming in, switching on the corner lamp.

"Andy? Are you okay, honey?"

Andy lay down and held me in both hands. I was soaring over his face when Mom looked our way.

"Oh no... How did Woody get down here?"

She noticed the trembling bookshelf and wondered no more.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Andy." She reached for me. Andy's grip was too much even for Mom. She gave up and took away my hat, then knotted my pull-string around my waist. My plastic gun was removed from its holster.

I had been child-proofed. What fun.

"There. You can play with Woody for a few minutes." Mom told Andy. She leaned against the dresser to watch while he did so.

"Woody?" Andy said, amused. He sat up and looked again into my eyes.

"Yes, that's Woody." Mom looked at the clock above the bookcase, "You can play with him again tomorrow, honey... It's late. You need to go to sleep now, Andy."

Played with? That was it?

This time, I was successfully removed from the crib. Mom sat me down on the dresser, and laid my arms over Hamm to steady me.


	6. Playtime: Part One

...Mom lied that night. Big time.

Andy didn't get to play with me the next day. In fact, I waited another _four years_ for him to even touch me.

"He's a collectible!" Mom told Dad one evening, "What if we need to sell him? Andy will ruin him, Tom."

"He's a _toy_, Anna! It's not like Andy has very many!"

"Only because we don't have extra money to be spending on them right now."

But my first playtime? An actual one? It was the day of Andy's fifth birthday. To the joyous approval of Andy, Mom deemed him old enough not to get hurt or damage me.

The parents were downstairs, setting up for Andy's birthday party. Mom was decorating a cake while Dad pinned red streamers to the walls.

Bo was right about playtime. I'm not gonna lie, it was awesome.

Slinky was twisted around the post of Andy's new bed. Hamm and I stood across from each other. More glaring.

Andy enjoyed speaking through all of us.

"I took your dog, Cowboy!"

Then, with a wondrous tug on my pull-string; "This town ain't big enough for the two of us."

"Help me, Woody!" Slinky's head was rocked side-to-side.

Andy left us briefly to dig through his dresser drawers. He removed a fire truck and rolled it our way.

"Let's have a race to see who can win the dog." Hamm took a step toward the truck.

"That's not fair cuz I don't have a truck!" Was my addition to the conversation.

"Do you have a horse?"

Andy shook my head until my hat fell off.

"You're not a good cowboy." Hamm got on the fire truck and looked at me.

"Let my dog go!"

My string turned into a lasso. After several failed attempts at roping Hamm, Andy cheated and tied the loop himself.

"Gotcha!"

Hamm was reeled towards me, while I muttered something about a snake in my boot.

"Andy!" Mom called up the stairs, "Come look at your cake."

"One more minute!"

"Your grandparents will be here in one more minute, Andy. Come on!"

Andy sighed, and glanced to me in one hand and Hamm in his other.

"You can play later, Andy."

Andy tossed Hamm down. He fell to his side, pennies whooshing. Hastily, Slink was untangled and left under the bed. With Andy holding onto one of my hands, we dashed down the stairs.

We reached the living room... Somewhere I'd never been before, aside from the day I was passed from the grandparents to Mom.

Andy sat with me on the couch.

"Andy, over here! In the kitchen!" Mom called.

Andy rested me on the center couch cushion. My head lolled slightly to the side, but I still had a good view of the downstairs from my post.

* * *

**A/N: So... five year old dialog doing okay? How are characterizations? What do YOU think will happen next? **


	7. I Watch Another Dinner Party

The doorbell rang.

"Go on, Andy. Get the door." Mom instructed.

Andy skipped to the door and, with difficulty, heaved it open.

"Why hello Andy." I heard Grandma say as she stepped inside.

"Hey Buddy…" Grandpa said, "Where can I put this box?"

"Is it a present?" An excited Andy asked.

"Of course it is. What else are birthdays good for?"

Mom intervened.

"You can put it on the floor in front of the couch."

When backs were turned, I stole a look at the boxes. I wasn't sure what to think of them if they were toys. Playtime could benefit from a few extra characters though, right?

"Mom can I open it? Mom? Please, please!"

"After dinner, Andy. Now help me set the table..."

"When can we have cake?"

"Dinner, presents, then cake."

The family sat down at the table and remained there for almost an hour. I assume they ate, but they also spent a lot of time chatting. Good topics, too.

Andy would be starting school soon. Mom was getting a promotion. The grandparents had moved into a nicer neighborhood...

They eventually drifted back to the couch to open presents. I held my breath.

Mom was gone briefly, and returned with three more packages, hastily wrapped. Andy's eyes were wide and sparkling.

"Now, Andy..." Dad instructed, "You can sit there on the couch..."

"Next to Woody?"

"Sure! Me, Mom and Gramma and Grandpa will sit here on the floor so we can all see you."

"Which one can I open first?" Andy asked after a moment.

Mom passed him one of hers.

"Why don't you open the ones from me and Daddy, then the one from Grandpa and Grandma last?"

Andy answered by anxiously tearing at the paper. It was shredded and tossed aside. Mom fetched a camera.

"Cool!" Andy exclaimed, looking at the pictures on the box. He couldn't read it, but I could.

_The World's Strongest Man. _

Not being too strong myself, I foresaw some playtime issues... and injuries.

Mom snapped a picture. Within seconds, it printed from the base of the camera. She set it on the nearby recliner, blowing on it so it would dry and develop.

The next box Andy received was long and slim, wrapped in blue. He opened it at a slower pace to preserve the fun he was having.

It was a... shark. Shiny grey with beady eyes and painful-looking teeth. However, he was smiling in the printed logo. Andy didn't look afraid at all.

"Can he swim in the pool with me?" Andy asked.

"We'll see..." Dad said.

Andy went on to the last of his parents' presents while Mom took more pictures. She placed them all on the recliner in a similar fashion.

"What does it say?" Andy wondered once he had opened the box. He shoved it into Grandpa's face. Grandpa, meanwhile, adjusted his glasses.

"Mr. Spell." He read.

"To help you learn to read for yourself!" Mom said pleasantly.

At least that one wasn't a toy... I didn't see Andy playing with him too much.

"Ready for this one?" Grandpa inquired, handing Andy the box he brought in, "Careful, it's heavy."

Andy set it on the couch and studied it a moment before destroying the paper.

"Oh wow!" Andy announced, overjoyed.

It was a remote control car. He was green and blue, and smiled if you looked at him just right.

"Now Woody can beat the evil pig in a race!" 

"What?" Grandma was confused.

"Andy was playing with all his toys before you came over." Mom explained.

"Do you want to play with me, Gramma?"

"Sure, Honey. Let's go."

"Okay! You can come too, Grandpa."


	8. Playtime: Part Two

They followed him up the stairs. Grandpa carried the new car, cutting it open as they went. Andy held on to me.

"Hang on; I need to set it all up again." Andy said once the party reached his room.

He re-tangled Slinky around the base of his bed.

"This is Slinky-Dog. The evil pig has him tied up. But he's Sherf..._Sher-iff_ Woody's dog!"

I was set across from Hamm again.

"I think the pig needs a name." Grandma decided.

"Dr. Pork Chop." Grandpa threw in.

Grandma glared at him.

"What? Something just reminded me of Lamb-chop!"

"That's a good name! He can be the _evil_ Dr. Pork Chop! Anyway... Evil Dr. Pork Chop wants to race Woody to see if he can get his dog back. Pork Chop has a fire-truck and now Woody has a cool car too so he can win!"

Grandpa passed Andy his new car and its remote. Andy gave it a test drive around the rug before I was placed on top of it. He wove my arms through the car's grill to ensure my safety. Hamm was placed on top of his fire-truck.

"Who wants to drive Pork Chop...Grandpa, can you?"

Grandpa scooted over beside Andy. The car and fire-truck were backed up against Andy's bed.

"Gramma, you can watch from the other side of the room and say who wins."

She sat down and watched.

"Ready?" Grandma asked.

Andy and Grandpa nodded.

"I'm gonna beat you!" Grandpa spoke through Hamm.

"No you aren't, Dr. Pork Chop. I'm gonna get my Slinky-Dog back!"

"GO!" Grandma shouted, waving her hands.

Andy drove the car forward, while Grandpa slowly slid the fire-truck across the floor.

I won within a few seconds.

"I won, Pork Chop!" Andy took me off the car and danced me around, "You have to untie my dog now."

Grandpa forced Hamm to oblige.

"How about we celebrate with some cake?" Grandma suggested, standing up with the help of a dresser.

Excited, Andy raced them down the stairs, leaving me on the floor next to an unchained Slinky. Hamm watched as I struggled to get up.

"That was intense." He pointed out.

I was speechless. Life was gonna be fun.


	9. The Rescue

Andy came back to us a few hours later. His guests had their cake and left, so that Andy wouldn't be up past his bed time.

Reluctantly, he marched up the stairs to put away his new toys. He could play with them the next day, Mom said.

I sat on Andy's lap, one arm around me, while he stacked up his toys. Other than the car, they all remained in their boxes. I wouldn't be able to meet any that night. Andy opened his closet and slid the stack of boxes inside. The boxes ran over a small blue staff...

Andy backed the boxes away to observe the staff properly. He'd never seen it before, so he found it best to investigate through me. Just in case it was dangerous, I suppose.

The staff was placed into my hands and waved before my eyes.

"What is it, Woody?" He eventually asked me.

My shoulders shrugged then shook briefly.

Andy set me down so that I leaned against the closet door. He crawled inside of the closet, ducking beneath his clothes.

"Hey, where'd you come from?" Andy's voice was muffled and vibrated the door where I waited.

He returned and knelt beside me, gently holding Bo.

I was snatched back up.

"Is this yours?" The staff was passed from my hands to Bo's. Her delicate hands were shaped specifically for holding it. Andy slid it back into its place and looked quizzically at me.

"Welcome to town, little lady. I'm Sheriff Woody." Her hands didn't bend for me to shake.

"Hi there Woody." Andy used a higher, smoother voice.

"Isn't she pretty, Woody?" Andy asked me.

I moved my head to nod. My hat fell off, but Bo's staff caught it.

"Maybe you should get married, Woody." Andy informed me.

I nodded again and collected my hat.

"Andy?" Mom's voice traveled through the hallway, "You need to go to bed, Sweetie."

"Okay, Mom..."

Slightly upset, Andy set us down against the wall beside his bed, right underneath the window. He switched off the lamp in the corner and the overhead light and slipped between his blankets.

A while later, Mom and Dad came in to check on Andy. Also, they wanted to see that his toys were properly put away. But of course, they'd been neglected, due to the (re)discovery of Bo.

After they went to their own room, Andy sprang from his bed to retrieve Bo and me.

We were stashed under his covers while he dug for a flashlight. He found one and our marriage ceremony commenced.

Andy began with a disclaimer. 

"I went to one wedding when I was really little, so I don't know what you need to say... but you can say 'I do' and then you have 'ta kiss."

"I do."

"I do too."

Our faces were softly pressed together. Our lips didn't exactly meet, but Andy was satisfied.

"Okay, we gotta go back to sleep now or Mom'll come back in."

He set us back down on the floor with the flashlight and crawled into his covers.

"Good to see you again, Bo."

"You too, Sheriff... but do you think Andy likes me?"

"He did say you were pretty..."

"No, you did."

"Well... you are. Andy knows it too."

"I'll be honest with you, Sheriff. I was expecting to be broken by now, instead of married."

"That's playtime for ya, Bo."

"Is that all?"

"It'll get better. Wait for tomorrow."

"Why not start now?"

Bo leaned in to kiss me. She remained fascinated with my pull-string, rubbing it until I nearly fainted.

"Wh-What are you doing, Bo?" I asked in a harsh whisper.

"Did we not just get married?"

I was silenced.

When Andy woke up, Bo's arms were wrapped tight around my sides, and my nose brushed her neck.

It was good to have her back. In one beautiful piece.


	10. Andy Buys a Toy

All that Andy asked his relatives for as a birthday present was spare change. He wanted something to keep Evil Dr. Pork Chop busy.

"He can count his money when I'm not playing with him," Andy explained to his mother, "So he doesn't hurt Woody when I'm gone."

"Woody will be fine, Andy." Mom remarked, "They are all _toys_."

But, for at least a week after his birthday, Andy charged to the mailbox each day. He wrought change from estranged grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all over the country. All of it was collected in Hamm. By the next weekend, Hamm could barely move!

"What are you going to buy with all that money?" Dad asked while Andy paraded around the house with his bank.

"Do I have enough to get a new toy?" And asked at once, dumping the lot of money onto the living room carpet.

"You got new toys for your birthday, right?"

"Yah... but I wanna pick one out and buy it by myself."

A date was set for Dad and Andy to go to the toy store.

Hamm and I accompanied Andy on this venture.

It was warm and sunny within the toy store. Its many windows served as perfect lighting for display shelves and cases.

Andy strolled slowly through each aisle, reading the price tags of each possible candidate. He made sure that I got a clear view of each toy as well. He valued my opinion greatly, and asked me several times whether or not I 'wanted to be friends' with the ones he considered.

"Daddy! Daddy look at _this _one!" Andy found a particularly fierce-looking dinosaur on a display shelf.

He was a sandy brown in color, with maroon streaks across the scales on his back. His eyes were golden and mysterious. Andy stood in awe, and shook Hamm, as if that would count the money he held.

But it was Dad who discovered the price tag.

"I don't think you can afford _this_ dinosaur, Andy. Maybe this one instead?"

Dad reached for the green dinosaur that shared the display shelf. He had a dent in one of his feet (oh, the horrors of being a demo toy) and one scale chipped off of his tail. But he was smiling, at least.

Dad was expecting disappointment from Andy, but he was much mistaken.

"Wow!" Andy stretched the word into several syllables, "I can afford _that_ one? Dad, he's so cool!"

"We need to find the boxes, Andy. Look around on this shelf here."

They searched. And searched. Andy did a lap through the surrounding aisles too, but it was useless.

"Looks like they ran out. Not your lucky day, I guess." Dad placed the smiling dinosaur back on his shelf.

Andy sighed until he was hit with his most brilliant idea yet.

His eyes shot open.

"Can I buy this one?" He picked up the demo and examined it, "He isn't too broken."

"Let's see what they say." Dad was thrilled. He never expected a child to be so easygoing when it came to toys. Andy didn't want the latest, most advanced toys. It seemed he was perfectly content with those from yard sales and demo cases.

After Andy counted and recounted his change at the register, he and Dad were on their way home.

Woody, whose seatbelt was too loose, was able to sneak a look at the dinosaur who sat alone in a plastic bag. No label, no box, no price tag. Clearly, toy-stores weren't as glamorous as he was led to believe.

Andy charged through the front door and made sure his mother observed the dinosaur from every angle.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and play with him right now."

"Okay, sweetie... I'll call you down for dinner." Said Mom, grinning.

Andy wrapped his arms around Hamm, Woody, and the nameless dinosaur, who'd already been stripped of the bag. He nearly stumbled up the stairs and shoved his door open.

In a mad rush for the toy-box, Andy had another epiphany.

"You need a _name_!"

He immediately stopped in his tracks and sat, cross-legged, on the floor. I ended up somewhere next to the closet door and upside down. The dinosaur was set in the center of the room, and Andy studied it.

"I think you're a tyran...ty... Maybe I should call you just 'Tye'... no, that's not a scary name."

He thought a moment longer.

"Oh, Tyranno...saur...us Rex! That's the kind of dinosaur. Your name can be Rex."

Once that was decided, Andy gathered the rest of his toys and placed them around Rex.

"Everybody, this is Rex and he is a really scary dinosaur. You need to be really careful to make sure he won't eat you. But I will feed him every day."

The announcements were rapped up and I was introduced personally. Andy struggled to make me shake Rex's hand, considering the length of his arms.

"Andy!" Mom's voice crept up the stairs and under his door, "Dinner time, Andy!"

Without a word, Andy dashed from the room.

Rex's beady eyes scanned his surroundings. I let go of his hand and started naming off the rest of the company.

It wasn't hard to notice that his arms were twitching. He blinked frequently and kept checking around the door, which Andy left cracked open.

"Are you okay, Rex?" I asked, stopping midway through introducing Slinky, "Andy will be right back..."

He nodded then promptly shook his head.

"Well, which is it?" Hamm inquired.

Slinky looked concerned, as did Bo.

"Are there any other dinosaurs here?" He finally decided to ask.

I shook my head.

"Nah, sorry. Everyone here is something different, so far. Maybe Andy will get one for Christmas..."

"That's okay." Rex said softly, "I don't really want another dinosaur. I'd be afraid of them, I think."

This somehow morphed into the story of Rex's own sad past. He was excited to be selected as a demo toy at the shop, but his eagerness quickly turned to fear.

Children were often too rough with him. He recalled being fought over once, stretched to his limits by a greedy set of twins. His tail, thanks to that incident, was detachable.

When Rex's audience thought he'd reached the worst part of the story, they were quickly proved wrong.

"Then, they got this new model of dinosaur and put him in my case too. And no one would play with me anymore. All the kids that came by thought he was so much better. And they'd make us fight. I never won. After a few months without sales, the store cleared the shelves of my kind. I was hoping they'd take me too, but they never came to get me..."

Slinky sniffled.

"No one here is gonna hurt you, Rex." Bo peep assured him, "You'll be the scariest toy in Andy's room."

"Andy seems nice..."

"He is, Rex." I said, "He saved me from a pretty bad life too. You'll fit right in."

"Then it must be my lucky day."

And Rex smiled.


	11. Bo Officially Moves In

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who was waiting to read this… I _promise_ I will finish it this summer. I've got it all outlined now. You may notice a slight change in my writing, compliments of the two year holiday I took. But I think you'll prefer it. So please, do enjoy and do let me know what you think. Thanks a ton!**

* * *

Andy, as became customary, had lined up his toys along the base of his bed, checking frequently that none of us disappeared below it. Just as he began interviewing Rex about which toy he wanted to eat, Mom came in. Mildly polite, Andy returned Rex to the line and stood to meet her.

"Andy," she said, reaching for one of his hands, "I wanted to tell you that you're going to have a baby sister soon."

I glanced down the row for Bo Peep. I caught her eyes and grinned.

I genuinely was excited for her. Andy seemed interested too, unable to speak for a moment.

"Where will she sleep at?"

"That's the thing, honey… we need you to be a good big brother and share your room with her until we can find a big house to move into."

"A new sister _and_ a new house?" The only thing that could possibly widen his smile was a new toy. Those would come in time.

"When can I see her?"

"She isn't here yet, Andy."

"When's her birthday?"

"We don't know yet."

"I have a present for her though."

"Really?" Mom enjoyed playing along.

"Yes, I really do. Here!" Andy made a dash for Bo, holding her staff in place.

"What's she doing in here?"

"She was in a box in the closet."

"Oh…" Mom seemed partially convinced, but eventually relaxed, "I thought we gave her away a long time ago… well, that's very nice of you, Andy."

"Thanks, Mom. I love you." Carefully, they hugged.

"You can help us decorate then, with the doll, right?"

"Yes!"

Mom leaned to kiss her son's cheek, then left us alone in silence.

"Who wants to help us decorate?" Andy posed the question and made all of us take turns nodding.

"I would." Andy chose a muffled voice for Slinky, adding a bark at the end for effect.

"So we need to help little Bo Peep be a decoration."

"I'm so happy!" Bo's staff fell from her grip, but was promptly replaced.

"What if I can't see you after that?" I tipped my hat. Andy resisted using my pull-string. A rare occurrence.

"I can wave to you across the room." Andy laughed as he waved Bo before me. Our hands met. As usual, hers was cold. We waited to smile until Andy turned away…

"You ready for bed, Andy?" Dad's voice bounced in from the hallway.

Andy set us down before calling back.

"Make sure your toys are put away, sweetie." Mom added, "When your sister is here the room needs to be perfectly clean every night."

Andy was thrilled to oblige.

Other than Bo and I, everyone was set in their correct space. We were left in the corner near the floor-lamp. The glow perfected her skin-tone and made each minor scuff she'd collected evaporate.

"Lucky you, huh?" I asked, reaching around her waist. Andy had burrowed under his covers, ignoring the lamp and immediately falling asleep.

"Seems so. I just…"

"What?"

"It's another baby… I don't want to get broken, Woody."

"You know I won't let that happen. And Mom kept us on a shelf forever until Andy was 'ready', remember?"

"You're right."

"And hey, we can look out for her. She's a part of the family."

Bo giggled at me and fastened her hands over mine.

I noticed Slinky's shiny eyes looking at us. I didn't mean to glare back, but I apparently did. He folded his tail and turned his entire body away, with some difficulty, considering the width of the shelf.

"Sorry, Slink." I whispered. Andy twitched under the covers.

His tail wagged.

Mom returned to the room several weeks later, carrying a massive, powdery bag. From it came two boxes with pink pinstripes. Andy watched with wide, critical eyes.

"These are for your sister's side of the room. Can you open them very carefully?"

Bo and I, once again, were seated near the lamp. This time, Slinky made a fence around us. Hamm was glaring from the other side of the room. Mom had interrupted a battle.

Andy took the boxes and exceeded Mom's expectations; not even a noise emerged from the boxes as he tipped them and opened them. She thought at least _something_ would break or chip. On accident.

We watched as a new lamp emerged from the box. It was painted to be a grassy hill, with a simple fence crossing the front. There were flowers that looked an awful lot like the ones on Bo's apron…

"I have a lamp too, Mom." Andy informed the company, replacing the empty box in the bag.

"Oh but sweetie, this is a special lamp. Daddy and I found it at a little store. It matches the doll you have for your sister. Where is she?"

"My sister?" He pointed, hesitantly, to his mother's middle. She smiled at this.

"No, the doll, Andy. Where is _she_? I want to show you…"

Andy sprawled to reach Bo, tipping Slinky over in the process. She was passed to Mom as Andy set to work on the remaining box.

Bo's feet fit perfectly into a small indent on one side of the lamp. Her staff rested on a flower.

Andy handed her the contents of the second box; three conjoined sheep, their wool looking passably like the clouds on the wall. The room would match nicely, I decided.

Mom pressed the sheep into a similar indent on the other side of the lamp.

When the attention had finally drifted toward reassembling Andy's old crib (which Dad lugged in) Bo inspected her surroundings. She clicked her tongue at the sheep and they bayed happily.

Assuming this noise came from the old, now useless lamp, Andy crawled over near me to flick it off.

He picked Slinky back up and pressed us together in a hug.

"This'll be fun, guys."


	12. I Get Kidnapped For the First Time

Andy was great at sharing his room, and Bo was great at avoiding Molly (that was the new sister) when she thrashed in her crib.

I was not so great at this.

One evening, as Andy was untwisting the mangled wheels of his remote-control car, I was left on the kitchen floor. Andy preferred working on the recliner, and he forgot to bring me along. Mom came in to prepare dinner, and shoved me to the edge of the room, after nearly tripping on me a dozen times. Molly watched, sprawled on the carpet in some device built to teach her how to walk. She didn't seem to like it, judging by her frequent wailing.

Mom often had to reset Molly in the chair, worried that she could hurt herself. On a contraption comprised entirely of plush and plastic.

As dinner was served, I saw Andy rush to the table. Dad joined in from upstairs, and Mom moved Molly into her line of vision before sitting down.

Molly peddled out to the edge of the kitchen, attempting to pick me up. Mom could see her, but not me, and wasn't at all worried. If anything, she looked relieved that Molly was accepting her unsteady tries at walking. And improving vastly.

The toddler gargled at me, looking fascinated. Mom turned her head and kept careful watch.

Molly, after stumbling forward in the device, was able to reach me. Without any attempts at being gentle, she heaved me up and took a very close look at me. She squeezed the fabric bits of my arms, then scratched along the plastic of my hands and boots. My hat was found to be most intriguing, as she pulled it off and tried (unsuccessfully) to reset it.

After she grew bored of this, she pushed my hat off and let it hit the floor. The noise was stifled by her mad laughing and jaunty steps over it. Mom's head swiveled over, inspected the scene, and returned to dinner. The family was chatting about the next time Andy could visit Grandpa and Grandma's house. Would he be a good big brother and take care of Molly during the car ride?

I only heard part of this dispute, mainly Andy defending his reasons. Molly had found the edge of a cabinet door, which she gripped for balance. While doing so, she'd yanked it ajar. I was dropped inside, clinking down to settle on a frying pan. She laughed once more, even louder than before. Mom stood and came to meet her.

I did not see anything except darkness, and after the dinnertime chat had subsided, I could only hear Andy, a decent distance away, continuing to work on the car.

I sensed the kitchen lights shut off. I heard Andy protest about his bed time, and Molly giggle as he did so. Wait, did he really forget about me?

He forgot about me…

What was I supposed to do? Could I shout something, or would that end worse? I considered rustling as much as I could manage among the pots, hoping that would make some noise. Or shoving the door open. Falling on the floor might be better than having more dishes stacked on me until Andy eventually noticed I was missing.

Andy's voice rang again, from further away. Likely, halfway up the stairs.

"Mom, did you see Woody downstairs with me?"

"Yes, Andy. You left him in the middle of the kitchen… that isn't a safe place for him."

"I'm sorry. Can I go get him?"

"Very quickly. Molly needs to go to bed on time tonight, big brother."

I heard his feet padding over the carpet, then slipping across the kitchen tile.

"Woody? Where are you, buddy?"

He must've seen my hat; I heard him sigh and scratch his head, a favorite nervous habit of his.

"Mom!" Andy said, too loudly. Then, assuming she'd glared at him, he added, much softer, "His hat's on the floor. But I don't see him."

Mom paced back down the stairs.

"Look harder, sweetie. I _know_ he was there."

"Did Molly touch him?" Andy sounded afraid of the possibility, "She could've broken him or…"

"I watched her while we ate dinner. You know that."

I tried to climb up the pan-handle. And promptly slipped back down. But the skidding noise sparked Andy's confusion.

"Did you hear that, Mom?"

"Yes. Sometimes when I put the pots and pans in the cabinet, they slide over each other if they aren't just right."

The cabinet was peeled open. The pan fell and Andy stumbled backward.

"That happens, Andy." Mom told him, tone reassuring. My eyes met Molly's, glazy and wide as she watched me fall from the cabinet, too.

"Mom! Woody was in here, see! See him?"

"Maybe Molly _did_ move him." Admitted Mom, holding her daughter tight, "I'll have to watch her better next time, I guess."

Andy looked me over and checked the state of all my pieces.

"_Reach for the sky!"_

Yep, that still worked. My hat was promptly returned to my head.

"Does Woody forgive me?" Mom asked, leaning forward and trying to return Andy to reality.

My head was nodded for me. Exhaling in relief, we went together up the stairs. Molly was tucked away in the crib. Andy crept between his neatly spread blankets, making sure I was constantly next to him.

"I'm sorry, Woody. I'll be really careful and I won't ever lose you again, okay?"

I wished this could be true. But it eventually proved otherwise.


End file.
